Dr. Brian:

I was going through your forums for which I found this question which you can say can also relate to a similar situation of mine.

Using lexapro and went for a test. Jul 7, 2005

Hi Dr. Brian:

I am on lexapro 20 mg a day for the past 4 months and just went for an HIV test after a low risk exposure. The result came out to be negative. I have been reading these articles. Because I was using lexapro will it cause a false negative in the result of my EIA test for HIV. Please answer.

Thank You.

Response from Dr. Conway

Lexapro is a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI), similar to many other agents such as Effexor and Zoloft. None of these drugs interfere with the ability of standard tests to detect anti-HIV antibodies in any way.

my question is what is "anti-HIV antibodies", did you mean HIV antibodies "that None of these drugs interfere with the ability of standard tests to detect HIV antibodies in any way". do they actually interfere?? I did not have any concern. One time just for one day I took/had or I was on lexapro 10 mg, when I was very very depressed during the window period and I never took any lexapro or any other antidepressant after that. So that means I took lexapro only one time in my life. After that I got tested after six months and My HIV EIA test result is negative. Do I need any further testing u think doc? God bless you for your great work.

You do not need any other test, unless there is a more recent incident during which you may have been exposed to HIV. You can definitely rely on the result of the test.